This project involves interfacing to a Somfy remote to open and close blinds in several rooms of my house. It’s a remake of a controller I built almost six years ago, redesigned using ESPHome for HA, which I’ve only recently started to explore. This effort may be mostly unremarkable, yet may offer a couple of interesting ideas for the DIY device creator.
Firstly, while most projects I see use relays to “push” buttons, I’ve discovered the LAA110 “solid state relay” to be almost ideal for the purpose. Two optically coupled MOSFET switches per 8-pin DIP package make for a compact solution for low-current applications and is great for one-off DIY prototyping.
Secondly, I wanted a wall switch that was attractive enough to use in the home and was not finding much that I liked. So, while replacing MANY old Crestron switches from my existing home lighting control setup in favor of HA compatible Lutron devices, I found they could be cannibalized rather nicely for the buttons, housing and mounting plate.
I would like to say that I’ve found ESPHome to be a wonderful experience during the project, at least after getting over the hump of the initial learning curve! HA itself is coming along slowly with its own mysteries to solve, but is likewise very appreciated!
More details can be seen in my website: gallery.
